My Name Is Shinigami
by Avel
Summary: “I hate you.” He growled venomously, eyes glinting as he stared into fiery violet eyes. Watching as a feral smile edged its way across the other’s face. “Don’t flatter yourself, I’m not afraid of you.” 1x2, Post War.
1. Prologue: Drowning In Your Eyes

Title: My Name Is Shinigami

Author: Avel

Summary: "I hate you." He growled venomously, eyes glinting as he stared into fiery violet eyes. Watching as a feral smile edged its way across the other's face. "Don't flatter yourself, I'm not afraid of you." He allowed a predatory smirk that didn't reach his eyes as he read the other's unspoken challenge "You should be." 1x2

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing… words cannot describe the disappointment.

Pairings: 1x2, past 5x2

CD Player:

Artist: Band of Horses

Album: Everything All the Time

Most inspiring song(s): **Funeral **

Prologue: Drowning In Your Eyes 

**"Duo?"**

"Duo, come out of there, there's no one here!"

I could hear Heero screaming at me from the other side of the bathroom door. However, I couldn't register his words. Fragments of his sentence seemed to blur in my mind and his voice seemed muffled as if my head had been submerged under water. The words spun around in my dazed mind. _Duo_. _Out_. _Here_.

I stared at the door as if it had spoken. Open it? I couldn't open the door. Don't you realize that **He** is out there waiting for me?

"He's out there! Heero get away from here! HE'S OUT THERE!" I screamed, my voice cutting off in a terrified sob. Heero was in danger and all I could do was hide, cowering behind the locked door, unable to risk the chance of **him** getting in.

"Heero please go." I whispered, tears running freely down my face, I was putting Heero in danger. Knowing that **He'd** kill him. "Go."

I felt the rising panic and anxiety that I had been suppressing begin to swell and cave in on me. I was suffocating. I gripped my throat in an attempt to vanquish the invisible noose wrapped around it. My skin was heated, my eyes were starting to water, and the pressure in my face and neck increased. _I'm chocking_ I thought unnervingly as I started struggling in attempt to free myself, my body writhing against the tile floor.

It hit me a moment later that **He** was in the room with me. That **He** was strangling me to death, and I was rapidly running out of air.

I managed a forced cry in an attempt to gasp for air as I continued to struggle with my assailant. But I couldn't focus on anything but the blurred bathroom. He was too damn quick and my arms felt like lead weights, unable to move my attacker's hands from my neck. My eyes turned upward, lingering on the ceiling and the bright fluorescent lights as they began to darken. No, the lights weren't dimming, my vision was! My vision swerved, as a cool trickle of liquid dripped off my eyebrow causing my attention to briefly focus on my burning lungs and my now sweat drenched clothes.

Duo!

The lights were so overbearing. I couldn't focus on anything but the blaring lights and the dark spots that were starting to spill across the ceiling. I felt my body moving on its own accord, my steps faltering as they brought me towards the sink, in front of the wall mirror. I tried to grab the doorknob to the side of me. I used the mirror as my guide, but my hand wouldn't budge.

Duo!

My eyes rested on my neck, and the figure suffocating me. My eyes widened in fear as my eyes caught **his**. The only sound that penetrated through my fading consciousness was my slowing heartbeats and sickly deprived gasps for air. **He** was killing me. And I couldn't fight **him** off. I was helpless as my weakened legs finally gave way, and I felt my body falling. The lights were fading. **He** had won. Everything went black.

**1 Year Earlier.**

"Duo?" 

"Fei?" I replied. The adrenaline and excitement coursing through my veins caused my voice to take on an edgy tone.

"It's over." He breathed as he came to sit down next to me on the couch.

It had been a week since the official end of the Mariemaia fiasco, and the media wasn't letting the story die anytime soon. It marked the end of the Eve Wars and signified the ending of our lives as soldiers. It was certainly difficult to grasp. Especially when considering that in just four words all five of us were handed a freedom that we had spent most of our lives fighting for. The war is over.

"It's over." I repeated, testing the foreign words, tasting them for the first time. Not disillusioned like at the end of Operation Meteor. This was the real deal. I took a glance at Wufei, growing a bit concerned when I noticed that he looked exhausted.

"You okay?" He asked suddenly, catching my gaze and giving me his full attention.

"Sure, but you need to get some sleep buddy, your looks are worse for wear." I winked at him.

He gave and indignant huff, but his eyes held playful humor.

"You look worn out yourself, Maxwell." He replied a bit more seriously, falling back on calling me by my last name. I could tell that he was concerned about me, but I shrugged him off carelessly.

"You know that now that we're all here, Quatre will probably trap us here. I don't think he quite appreciated the last time when we split and didn't quite 'keep in touch'." I gave him a mischievous smirk.

"I'm sure you wouldn't mind." Wufei gave an almost arrogant smile at me, "Free food." He stated before attempting to dodge the pillow I threw at him in irritation.

"We all know that I would stay to observe the ever reclusive Trowa in his natural habitat." I grinned at the emerald-eyed ex-pilot as he entered the room.

A silent, raised eyebrow was his only response to my offhand comment, as he made his toward the adjoining kitchen.

Playing into the low laugh I had won from Wufei, I started narrating Trowa's movements.

"There, striding towards the kitchen is the mysterious uni-banged creature known as Trowa Barton. This tall, lanky and silent predator is a dangerous beast that when approaching…or stalking, should be regarded with the utmost caution." I dropped my Australian accent as his form had almost disappeared from sight and quickly called out after him.

"Hey Tro, can you get me a soda?"

Wufei gave a chuckle at my spontaneous nature and I heard a lighter laughter come out of the kitchen.

You know Duo, One of these days he might not get you that soda." Quatre smiled at me as he made his way toward the chair opposite me. Trowa reappeared a moment later, with two Diet Cokes in hand. As he handed one off to me my eyes strayed past his shoulder, eyes catching a glimpse of a dark figure in the mirror behind him. I nearly lost the grip I had on the soda, causing another concerned look to be directed toward me, only this time it was Trowa who asked about my well being.

"Duo, are you well?" Trowa asked softly, eyes analyzing me for any signs of illness.

"Just fine, thanks." I grinned at him, knowing full well that the possibility of the figure in the mirror being more than just an illusion was slim to none.

"What's with this whole 'Is Duo okay?' deal you guys got going on?" I gave a mock huff of annoyance.

"The one you should be concerned about is him!" I attempted to stray the attention away, pointing a finger toward the desk in the corner. Situated in it was a currently preoccupied Heero Yuy with his constant companion, a.k.a his laptop.

"I don't think he's taken his eyes off that laptop since this morning, if you ask me that sounds pretty damn unhealthy." I stated rather loudly, listening intently as the clicking of computer keys stilled for a moment.

Quite frankly, I enjoyed teasing Heero. After all, it wasn't everyday that you had to compete with a laptop for the attention of your best friend. Well, as much as you could call any of us friends. Are relationship was based on our past as war allies, comrades in arms, and so forth. Sure I acted friendly with each of them, but the awkwardness of our relation to each other was blunt and sometimes fairly uncomfortable.

Stick me alone with Trowa and surprisingly I could get him to talk about a wide number of subjects, but the conversations we held weren't in the casual form of friends, just as acquaintances. Other times the room would go dead silent, both of us uneasy around each other, but unwilling to go ahead and state the obvious. However that tension had been easing slightly, he was intelligent and I actually felt that we had the most experiences in common. He was the one I turned to talk to, but in itself those times had been fairly rare, considering the war had been going on and the one-year of complete lack of communication hadn't helped either.

Quatre was a sweet guy and a well natured character, but unable to relate in most cases the hardships and serious issues that some of us had dealt with in the past. He was naïve to a lot of things, but that didn't make him incompetent. He knew when to leave a subject alone, or when silence was necessary. He was fun to hang around, but I looked upon him as I had with some of the younger orphans in my childhood gang. Which made it hard to really share my whole character with him. He still held an air of innocence about him, even though he had killed just as many people during the war as we had.

Wufei, well lets just say it straight, was just a complete riot to be around. Even when I was in a shitty mood threatening bodily harm to everyone and everything within five feet of me, we held some pretty damn good yelling matches. I hadn't held too many completely serious talks with him. Our conversations were more or less spread out sentences throughout the day. But we made up for that in our fights, paragraphs of heated words, views, points, and facts all compiled so that the entire house could listen in on us. To put it simply, we were great.

My relation with Heero, well out of all of the guys, I felt the most comfortable with him. I could keep talking and he would just listen. With Trowa he would talk back in some small form, Heero normally didn't. I don't know why I considered him to be my best friend, I didn't go announcing it, but I guess I had just known him the longest. Sure I could annoy him at times, but I had fun doing it. I was pretty sure he didn't take the teasing to heart, so to speak. But I was able to get some smirks out of him, which lifted my confidence a bit. I liked to feel needed and with Heero I felt that I could accomplish that by getting him to open up a bit. And there should be a rule out there that states that Heero needs to be needed. That's probably the reason he puts up with me; I need him to listen to my rants and my thoughts. I just don't want to be alone again. I'm afraid of the silence, which is why I fill the void with my voice and my chatter most of the time.

"It's normally you who does the talking, not Yuy." Wufei pointed out, drawing me from my silent contemplation.

"Doesn't change the fact that it's weird." I replied smoothly, but inwardly disappointed with my choice of words.

"And you're not?" Wufei questioned rather arrogantly, a superior smirk etching at the corners of his mouth.

"Nah, I'm just gifted." I grinned back at him, feeling as if I had just said something wrong.

"In what, is the real question," Wufei at times could possess a quick tongue.

I wound up to retort with something witty, but realized I didn't have an answer, but before I could respond I was interrupted by Heero's monotone voice.

"His gift is his words, and if you keep pushing him Chang, he'll continue to demonstrate."

I looked at Heero, caught off guard by the comment. Heero normally didn't stick up for me so I was unsure if it was to stop the bickering or if it was something Heero actually believed. The moment passed quickly when it hit me in a sick and gut wrenching realization that my gift was death. Not words.

I had lost those who I had loved and held dearly to my hated counterpart Shinigami. With the war over, Shinigami had been put to rest, but the fear was still there. The fear of getting close to anyone and unknowingly putting them in harms way. I couldn't lose any more people I cared for. I shoved those thoughts aside quickly, opening the diet coke with a snap, gulping down some of the bubbling soda.

"We wouldn't want that." Wufei agreed, before standing and quietly excusing himself from the room.

Leaving a heavy awkwardness in his absence. I looked up cautiously only to meet Quatre's aquamarine gaze, I flashed my eyes away to Trowa who had situated himself farther from us and was currently fixated on his own drink. Lastly I glanced at Heero's back, wanting more than anything for him to say something and knowing full well that he wouldn't. That settled it I had to leave. Standing abruptly I gave a flash smile to Trowa, who had tensed at the movement, and met Quatre's unwavering stare.

"Looks like I'm going to head upstairs catch up on some of that beauty sleep I recommended Wufei." I stated rather hurriedly. Quatre was putting me on edge and I knew that all three of them had picked up on it, so I took controlled steps to the stairs and started up at a casual pace, that lasted half way before I broke into a jog the rest of the way up.

Why was I running? I thought a bit nervously as I headed into my temporary room. What didn't I want Quatre to see? Or was it that I just didn't want to see the image reflected in Quatre's eyes? I shut the door quietly before sitting on the side of the bed, fingers splaying through my hair and stopping when both my palms rested securely against my temples. Why was I acting this way? I felt lonely and depressed, but I didn't understand what had brought these emotions on so suddenly. I had just let out a frustrated sigh when a knock on the door brought a soft groan of complaint to escape my lips.

"Sleeping." Came my reply, not in the mood for entertaining. The door opened a moment later. My temper aflame, my face shot up, eyes narrowing intent on snapping at the intruder. My voice caught in my throat momentarily, I addressed my housemate in a surprised tone.

"Heero?"

"But that's getting too far ahead of the story, almost to the end, although the end is in the beginning and lies far ahead." – Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man 

A/N: This fic is going to be the real "challenge", so to speak. Personally, I'm prepared for this to be very hard. Also, I'm incorporating a style I haven't used before. That style, being Duo's point of view. I'm pretty psyched that the beginning prologue turned out as well as it did, it definitely made me happy. Can't wait to work on the next chapter. Remember to review before you leave!


	2. Breathing Fire

Title: My Name Is Shinigami

Author: Avel

Summary: "I hate you." He growled venomously, eyes glinting as he stared into fiery violet eyes. Watching as a feral smile edged its way across the other's face. "Don't flatter yourself, I'm not afraid of you." He allowed a predatory smirk that didn't reach his eyes as he read the other's unspoken challenge "You should be." 1x2

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing… words cannot describe the disappointment.

Pairings: 1x2, past 5x2

CD Player:

Artist: Trust Company

Album: True Parallels

Most inspiring song(s): **The War Is Over**

**Chapter One: Breathing Fire**

"**Sleeping." **

Came my reply, not in the mood for entertaining. The door opened a moment later. My temper aflame, my face shot up, eyes narrowing intent on snapping at the intruder. My voice caught in my throat momentarily, I addressed my housemate in a surprised tone.

"Heero?"

What could he possibly want? I wondered briefly as he entered the room.

"Quatre is concerned about your health." He stated bluntly, looking at me calmly.

"So why isn't he in here?" I asked a bit spitefully.

"You have not been acting yourself." He replied in a perfect monotone.

"Pray tell?" I asked sarcastically, as I stood, intending to escort him out the door.

"You've been skipping meals, you look sleep deprived, like you have not been retaining energy or sleep. You are distracted easily, unable to concentrate for periods of time." He listed as if he was mentally checking off a grocery list.

"Is that all you got?" I asked, beginning to feel a bit defensive. "It's not like we just came out of a fucking war or something." I caught the growl, and masked it with bitter agitation.

"The others are recovering faster than you." Heero pointed out.

"Geez, Heero not everyone's fucking inhumane like you, we all heal differently at different times!" I snapped and then immediately felt bad when he just stared back at me emotionlessly.

"Dude, didn't mean that." I gave an apologetic smile.

"Hn." Was his only response as he gazed at my hand that had been unconsciously toying with my cross. I had a nervous habit of doing that, it seemed.

"Look, I'm sorry I snapped, but I really did come in here to sleep." I smiled, "One less thing on that list of yours' to worry about, or is it Quatre's?" I corrected myself airily.

It looked as if he wanted to say more, his eyes held an intense emotion that I couldn't quite place. It was a combination of yearning and confusion. About what, was a complete mystery to me, but I didn't think too much on it as he turned to exit the room, but before he left I felt the urge to at least thank him.

"Hey Heero," I waited as he turned, another mystery emotion flickering in his eyes, "Thanks for checking up on me, even if it was Quatre's idea."

I winked at him, but a flash of uncertainty hit me as he turned. I could have sworn I saw his eyes show a flicker of disappointment as he left.

I fell back on my bed and felt my eyelids fall shut. I don't even remember falling asleep, but the moment I woke I felt disoriented. As if I hadn't slept at all, my mind immediately fell back to the previously nagging thoughts that I was missing something. My eyes flickered to the side of the bed, resting on the nightstand, natural light filtering in through the window behind it. A curled edge of a paper caught my attention, as I reached for it I felt an uneasiness settle in my stomach. There were just some things that you would not find in my immediate sleeping quarters…and paper is certainly one of them.

Grabbing the slip of paper I brought it close to my face, as I finished reading, my hand gave an involuntary jolt. What the hell? I re-read it again immediately becoming distressed. The note slipped out of my hand, falling almost in slow motion as it hit the floor without sound. The simple note scratched in neat print repeated in my mind, analyzing the words. _Stay away._

Who the hell would send a vague threat to me? Was it a threat? It certainly didn't sound like a joke and for the record I would be the only candidate here to play a prank on someone. I got up and quickly assessed the room, checking under the bed, along the walls under and on the sides of the nightstand and dresser before checking the small connecting closet, checking corners and browsing through some of the insides of jackets for tracking devices or any other bugs that could have been planted in the room. Nothing.

Deciding to suppress the rising paranoia in the back of my head, I decided to go with the idea of someone trying to toy with me. I exited my room quietly, still on guard incase something had happened while I was asleep. I mentally cleared the hallway before I crept downstairs soundlessly, using the pads of my bare feet on the wooden floorboards, careful to avoid the creaks that I had discovered throughout the initial days of settling in. The living room in sight, I located Trowa and Wufei both silently reading on opposite couches, spaced equally apart. I decided to drop my stealth mode and let the steps fall more purposefully watching out of the corner of my eye as they sensed and were alerted of my presence.

"I know this is pointless, but did either of you go into my room today?" I asked casually as I continued past them, toward the kitchen. Acting as if it was a side remark with little importance.

"Be assured Maxwell that the thought of entering that lair of yours' has not crossed my mind since situating here." Wufei replied calmly, eyes never leaving the book.

I had paused at the answer and turned my gaze toward Trowa who was looking at me rather intensely.

"I would not intrude in your personal bedroom." He stated quietly, and I smiled at him appreciatively.

"Yeah I knew you wouldn't, but there's no harm in asking." I commented as I entered the kitchen. Finding it empty, I returned to the living room and asked Trowa the whereabouts of are other housemates.

"So where are Quatre and Heero?" I inquired, as I sat down, realizing that I had left the diet coke untouched on the glass coffee table. Picking it up I was surprised to feel the still chilled perspiring drink.

"What was this on ice or something?" I questioned under my breath, as I snapped it open, and took a gulp.

"You've only been gone for about fifteen minutes." Trowa stated, "Quatre's in his room and Heero should be in his room, as well." He answered quietly, concentration returning to the book he had been reading, his way of ending the conversation.

Fifteen minutes? I had thought for sure I had slept longer than that, but there was no point in arguing. I guess I was just not used to having nothing to do, I was just so damn restless lately. I don't think I had slept for barely five hours this week. I blamed it on the indecisiveness of my current situation. What was my next move? Where was I going to go? How would I support myself? What jobs were open to me? The questions just seemed to be popping up at any and every given moment. Nonstop and excessive scenarios were played out and contemplated throughout the night, leading into the early hours of the morning.

I was also experiencing a couple fitful flashbacks and nightmares for the brief moments of sleep I had managed. I assumed that we all would be experiencing them for years to come, so as much as they threw me for an emotional loop, I tried my best to suck it up and not let it effect me.

I took another long swig of the carbonated drink before standing and heading back upstairs to search for the culprit. Instead of just knocking, I used my knuckles and tapped them quickly like drumsticks, waiting as the door opened rather quickly.

"Duo?" Quatre smiled at me, as he moved opening the door wider, offering me to come in. I stood my ground and smiled back.

"Hey Quat, I was just wondering if you stopped by while I was out?" I looked down the hall almost distractedly.

"Out?" Quatre asked confused.

"Yeah, while I was sleeping…" I clarified, remembering that my choice of words as blunt as they were to me might not be as obvious to others.

"It's just that I found a piece of paper that might belong to one of you guys, I don't keep paper around, so I just thought I'd ask." I watched the blond glance behind him and pause, taking in his bedroom.

"I'm sorry, I didn't go in your room at all, I thought you'd be asleep for a couple of hours, so I didn't want to disturb you." He answered truthfully.

"I didn't hear or see anyone near your room, so…" He trailed off softly.

"Hey, no problem." I grinned at him, "I'm just curious about that mysteriously misplaced item." I said as I started to walk down the hall to Heero's room.

"Let me know if there's a problem." Quatre called as I retreated to Heero's room.

"Will do." I waved in parting.

"Culprit, Fiend." I declared dramatically with a quick knock as I opened the door and entered Heero's bedroom.

Heero turned to glance at me, before turning back to his computer.

"Shouldn't you be asleep?" He asked quietly.

"Well I thought I would." I replied thoughtfully. "Didn't quite work out."

I walked up behind him as he browsed the news coverage on the web, a side window open with Preventor information updating on its own.

"So…you want me to stay away from you? Or the laptop?" I asked with a smile that Heero couldn't see.

He turned his head cautiously to stare at me.

"What are you talking about?" He asked with a familiar monotone he took on with most conversations.

"Well you're the only person who went into my room so you obviously planted the note." I accused, "But hey, it's no big deal. Knock next time." I stated before turning to leave.

"I didn't leave you a note, if I had had something to say, I would have stated it earlier during our previous conversation." He looked momentarily confused as he analyzed my suddenly taught form.

"Someone left you a note in your room?" He asked a look of perplexed concern gracing his features.

"It doesn't matter, it was just a joke." I said quickly, cutting off his train of thought. "Don't worry about it, I'll just catch you later." I said a bit disturbed that no one had claimed the damn note.

As I exited the room, I felt myself getting paranoid. Had someone other than the guys been in my room? Had that person then gone in my room while I was asleep? I felt the skin on my arms cover in goose bumps, my eyes darting to each place an unwanted intruder would seek refuge in to hide. I made it back into my room and quickly sought out my gun, before exiting the room, keeping my eyes out for any signs of irregular movements. I hit the bathroom first knocking the door toward the wall before aiming my gun behind it, I checked the stall of the shower and left.

I was acting irrational, I thought as I heard a click from down the hall. I jumped at the sound of Heero's door opening behind me. Quickly ducking into the bathroom before shoving the gun in the back of my jeans. I was not going to alert Heero of my nervous jitters, nor anyone else for that matter. This was probably just the result of my ongoing sleep deprivation, and nothing more.

"Duo." I heard Heero's voice on the other side of the door.

"Yeah?" I replied calmly.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"Gee, I don't know, maybe getting ready to take a piss." I answered sarcastically.

"In the dark?" came his unwelcome reply.

I felt foolish for not only searching for a threatening intruder able to break into a secured mansion with five ex-gundam pilots living in it, and then in the middle of my search I duck into an unlit bathroom without the common comprehension to notice it's pitch black surroundings.

"I work better in the dark." I replied comically. "I'm a vampire in training, soon I'll inquire about a coffin to sleep in." I continued.

"Duo, come out of there." Heero said with an undertone of annoyance. Cursing myself for not being able to lie straight out, I complied.

"Of course I'm not sure about the whole blood drinking deal, I think I've killed enough people already." I continued as I stepped out of the bathroom.

"I would like to talk to you." Heero addressed me seriously.

"Sure thing, let me just get a sweatshirt and I'll meet you in your room." I smiled, waiting for him to turn and leave. He gave me a once over, before reluctantly turning to leave. He sure was acting odd today. But who was I to say who was and was not acting odd?

Distributing my gun underneath the pillow in my room, I pulled a black hooded sweater over my head as I made my way out of my bedroom reappearing moments later in Heero's room.

"So you wanted to talk to me?" I asked stepping fully into the room. Heero was standing in the center of the room his stance was a bit tense, which alerted me that this might not be a friendly chat.

"I wanted to ask your plans, when we leave." Heero asked, a bit more softly than I was used to.

I was taken aback by the question this was a personal topic he was inquiring about.

"Honestly I don't know, I've been thinking about it a lot though." I answered cautiously.

"We've known each other for a while now, I would like you to consider coming with me to Earth." Heero continued.

"You want me to be your roommate?" I asked with a hint of uncertainty.

"Yes." He replied.

"Why?" I asked after a moment.

"We're comrades." He stated matter-of-factly.

"Friends." I corrected, watching him look at me questioningly. "That's what normal people refer to us as." I stated patiently.

"Well I guess I can't just let you go into the real world without teaching you a few things." I winked at him, before adding. "Roomie."

I watched his expression lighten, a small smile gracing his lips, his hand extending toward me. I grasped it in a sturdy shake.

"Thanks." He said, eyes gazing intensely into mine.

"No prob." I smiled, playing ignorant. "So I'll leave things up to you then."

I turned and left, mind racing once I had closed Heero's door behind me. What had I done? I had just told Heero I'd be his roommate, shook on it even. I felt weird, light headed, almost. My heartbeats pounded rhythmically inside my chest, echoing in my ears. Was I crazy? I should have told Heero I would think about it and nothing more. Not just agree on the spot, like I had just did. I felt a headache coming on strong, as I stopped in front of my bedroom door.

Shouldn't I be happy that he reciprocates my feelings? Considers me a friend? I rested my forehead on the cool white wooden surface of the door. Here I now had a chance to strengthen our bond, make it an official friendship. Why did I feel so uncertain about this opportunity? I should be glad that I now have a place to go, someone I can trust to be with me on Earth. Job opportunities were plentiful there too, I should be grateful. I entered my room and closed the door, walking past the dresser and toward the bed, laying back and staring tiredly at the ceiling.

This was the kind of tired where you felt numb and wide awake, past the point of sleep. I definitely was past the point of sleep. I turned my head lazily, resting my cheek into the white cotton pillow, eyes trailing down onto the nightstand. Finding it bare, I looked down on the floor and felt my breath catch in my throat. The note was gone.

A/N: This is actually progressing rather smoothly, which is great in my opinion. Another short chapter, but it's not too bad. It was still quite effective. This story is like a rollercoaster, waited through the line and now the ride is about to start in the next chapter. Remember to review before you leave.

**Comments: For my 4 reviewers!**

Goodbye.Unfaithful.: Awesome, I was aiming for odd and suspenseful. Glad you enjoyed the prologue!

**Dark-lil-devil: Thanks for reading and hope you continue to enjoy the story.**

**Mysterious double: This is a very complex fic you've stumbled across, I assure you. I hope that it this turns out to be great, I happen to think this is one of the better ideas I've come up with for a fic, so I hope you continue reading. It was definitely my intent to make the prologue interesting without giving the whole thing away. **

**Kaltes: Hope you continue reading. **


	3. The Beginning

Title: My Name Is Shinigami

Author: Avel

Summary: "I hate you." He growled venomously, eyes glinting as he stared into fiery violet eyes. Watching as a feral smile edged its way across the other's face. "Don't flatter yourself, I'm not afraid of you." He allowed a predatory smirk that didn't reach his eyes as he read the other's unspoken challenge "You should be." 1x2

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing… words cannot describe the disappointment.

Pairings: 1x2, past 5x2

CD Player:

Artist: Neverending White Lights

Album: True Parallels Act: 1 Goodbye Friends of the Heavenly Bodies

Most inspiring song(s): **Angels & Saints**

**Artist: Trust Company**

**Album: The Lonely Position Of Neutral**

**Most inspiring song(s): The Fear**

**Chapter Two: The Beginning**

**As **I gazed out the window of the shuttle heading from Colony L4 to San Francisco, California, I couldn't help but reflect on the last week that had seemed to rush by in a blurred haze. Heero had announced to the group that we would be taking our departure and would be heading to Earth. The moment his words registered the fact that our group was now officially separating, it seemed to heighten the awkwardness of our situation.

When do you get so attached to people who are relatively strangers? Was it just the experience and the turmoil of the war that had brought us together, that had created the bond we all shared? Or was it the gradual comfort that grew from coming into contact. I remember our stay on the Peacemillion, when we had actually become a group, worked together, combined our skills and won the war.

You can't just give up those experiences, and as much as we all would like to deny it, except for maybe Quatre, we got to know each other to a deeper degree than just friends. We knew how each of us worked, our style of combat, our habits, and our individual strategies, etc. These guys were family, and deep down it hurt that I was now leaving them. Maybe I just wasn't meant to have one…I paused, bringing myself back to reality.

I turned to take in my surroundings; Heero was to my right, taking the middle seat in the three-seat aisle, and to his right seated in the outer chair, was our other roommate. Inwardly I was thrilled when Heero had told me the day before our departure that Trowa had requested to tagalong with us. What a fine threesome we'd make once we got situated…I immediately tensed as a shaded figure walked down the aisle past us. I admit I was jumpy, but so were the other two, this ride had been nothing but tense since we had loaded our luggage above our heads on the shuttle. We were all on guard and weary of strange stances and awkward behavior, something that we had had to be alert for the entire time we had been at war.

These habits were definitely going to die hard. I watched as Trowa's hand momentarily flinched as a waitress bumped his shoulder slightly, this was going to be interesting. I turned my gaze to Heero, his eyes were closed and he was sitting rather stiffly, but his lips were relaxed. I continued to stare, knowing full well he was aware of it. I eyed him closely unconcerned with what I was doing. He was pretty handsome, if he smiled, he'd be gorgeous. There was no doubt about that. He had an impeccable physique, lightly tanned skin, dark unruly hair. And the sexiest blue eyes, I noted as he stared back at me. Well I was done with my game and gave him a winning smile as I swiped the small complimentary pretzels he had left untouched on the open tray.

He looked at me oddly, blinked twice and smirked. I looked past him to see that Trowa had found my win amusing, a small smile gracing his lips, as he continued to read a book. I let a small smirk of my own show, as I let my head fall back against the seat, headphones secured, as I selected a song and played it while opening the small bag of snacks and munching mindlessly. As I half listened to the fast paced rhythm of a metal band, I drifted in and out of consciousness for the remainder of the ride finally jolting fully awake when Heero nudged my shoulder, signifying that we had reached our destination.

We headed out, grabbing our luggage and quickly hailed a taxi that brought us to a relatively neat little apartment complex, a bit closer to the docks than to the inner hustle of the city. To sum things up, it wasn't Quatre's mansion. But that suited me just fine. I wasn't too comfortable in places that screamed money, and from the looks of things I was willing to bet that my roomies felt the same.

The rooms were vacant and unfurnished, we had packed our sleeping bags, and a couple mats were purchased shortly after we had dropped off our luggage at our new apartment. It was a modern three-bedroom apartment, so it was relatively spacious, at least for our needs. I felt a little awe struck as I wondered around the rooms, no one had claimed the bedrooms yet, and there was one bathroom with an adjoining shower. I wasn't able to grasp how this entire situation felt so surreal. My life had been filled with war and death, the constant adrenaline that never stopped. What was I supposed to do now? How was I expected to adjust to an everyday normal life?

We were teenagers in appearance, but not very many men had seen and gone through what we had. We had lost our youth, our innocence, and our ability to live the lives of average seventeen year olds. Trowa however was an estimated eighteen, which legally made it easier for us to obtain necessary essentials. But then again, we all had a habit of obtaining necessities illegally. Like I said, habits die hard.

One Week Later 

Surprisingly enough the adjustment to our new living situation was a quick transition. We did our own things, hardly saw each other for the most part of the day, and at precisely six on the dot we would decide on dinner. Of course that's just summarizing, the actual days were a set routine. I'd get up around eight, just in time to see Trowa off and I'd finish off some eggs and an apple before lounging back on the couch we'd acquired earlier this week, with my laptop. I had been pretty open with my job search and had landed a rather well paying job as a web design engineer and as a professional hacker. Of course the latter wasn't something I put on my resumes. Quite simply I was a stay at home worker with my own set hours and a lot of spare time.

At ten, Heero would leave to some unknown place, which I have yet to figure out. He has a similar routine to mine, he has a stay at home job, but for the amount of hours he leaves, I suspect that he may have another job that I'm unaware of. Trowa was the only one of us to actually obtain a job outside of the apartment. Surprisingly enough, he was working at a local nursery. Who would have thought our Trowa would be a gardener? Mind you it wasn't a high paying job, therefore he had taken on a couple other side jobs including, being a waiter at a high-class Italian restaurant, becoming a dog walker, and my favorite, Starbucks employee.

However this was only temporary until he earned his teaching credentials, once he was a certified teacher, he had intentions of working as an acrobat and aerialist instructor at a pricey circus school. If you could call it that, it was pretty much open to anyone and the fees for the classes, in my own opinion, were outrageous. But if it meant that it would help Trowa pecuniary, I was all for the eager students to spend lavish amounts of money per session.

Today started out like the last four, and as I browsed through the few items of clothing I possessed, I decided to check out the city. I took my set of keys and grabbed a worn leather jacket and made my way out of the apartment. Outside I was met by the refreshing cool of the shade cast from all the surrounding buildings. It was fairly calm out, but as I ventured past a couple blocks, I was soon just another person added to the hustling crowd. Rushing by in every direction were people of all ethnicities. Frequently, I would slide by small coffee places, set on each turn I made. People awaiting the crosswalk lights to change were often holding a coffee cup in their hand. Either that or they were sporting earplugs and headphones, or a cell phone.

In these areas, there was only the sound of cars, talking, small eateries, etc. The tall buildings causing each noise to increase, bouncing off the walls and carrying for long distances. It was filled with filth and trash, and occasionally an unmoving body of a homeless person sprawled out against the wall. It was all a familiar scene, and it reminded me of back home in L2. Living on the streets, I was well aware of all these familiar sounds, smells, sights. It was odd finding myself back in these sorts of surroundings, having spent the last couple years fighting a war; I had never really paid attention to the places I had been situated in.

After about an hour and a half of visually marking areas, and making myself acquainted with closer areas around our apartment, I turned back and began to back track home. It was still relatively cool, but the sun was lit in several areas as I passed crosswalks and some uphill slopes. San Francisco, I noted as I hiked up yet another sidewalk, definitely had one major difference from L2, it had so many uneven, ups and downs, that it really did work the muscles in my legs. After awhile I hit the more familiar, and level sidewalk, leading back to our apartment. I judged the time to be around 11:30 am, so I stopped by a tiny open pizza place and purchased a slice of cheese pizza and ate it fairly slowly as I completed the journey back.

Opening the door to the apartment with a slight jingle of the keys, I walked into the living room/kitchen checking for any sign that one of the guys was home. Finding it barren and lifeless, I headed down the hall and into my room. It was the second room down on the right, passed the bathroom situated on the left. Trowa had claimed the first bedroom closest to the living room. Heero had situated himself down the hall in the last bedroom, which was on the left side of the hallway. And I was content with my room, which I had yet to decorate. The room was barely furnished, consisting of a bare mattress laid in the left corner up against the wall on the floor with a plain white down comforter spread on top of it. Not too far from the end of the mattress was the walk in closet, small but very convenient. We had all purchased lamps for our bedrooms, and I had placed mine in front of the outlet, which happened to be in the middle of the back wall next to my bed.

I was feeling slightly dizzy, and decided that I probably didn't have enough fluid in me to keep me hydrated. Shrugging it off, I placed my jacket on a hanger inside the closet and decided to go back into the living room and get some water. I had just passed the bathroom, when I heard a noise resonate from inside it. I spun around, eyes narrowing on the open doorway. From the angle I was in I couldn't see much, other than the light switch, everything else was too dark and hidden from view. I quietly walked to the door and prepared myself for an attack, remembering that San Francisco had a large amount of burglaries. I flipped the light on as I took in the room, the stall to the shower was slightly ajar, and so as I made my way fully into the bathroom I checked behind the door. Clear. I strained my ears for any sound of breathing or for the familiar click or removal of a safety of a gun. I took a defensive stance and opened the shower stall. Empty.

As I was mentally confirming that the bathroom was in fact clear, I heard the door to the bathroom slam shut. The force of the slam causing me to jump in surprise, while the sound in the silent apartment imitating the discharge of a gun. The pounding of my heart inside my chest momentarily deafening me, I was completely thrown off guard, staring at the door and then running toward it pausing slightly to take in the fact that there was someone in the apartment, and that someone had been able to get past me. The fact that I hadn't been able to hear that person was what caused my blood to run cold. I listened intently, there was nothing; just like before. I mentally cursed myself for not paying enough attention to my back. This person had had a perfect shot at me, had he been intent on murdering me, I wouldn't have even known what hit me. Fuck.

But I had been so sure the sound had originated from inside the bathroom. How the fuck had the bastard got past me? Adrenaline was still coursing through my veins, so much so, that I was trembling in place. I took a glance at the bathroom to see if there had been anything along the lines of a recorder that could have been planted to distract me. The counter was bare, the floor was clear, and the stall was empty other than the necessary toiletries. I was preparing myself to go out and investigate, feeling pretty confidant that this person wasn't armed with a gun from my earlier observation. As I took a deep breath to steady myself, I caught a flash of something in the mirror in my peripheral vision. Turning to look at it more clearly, I felt my body grow weak. A single yellow post it note was placed on the glass surface of the mirror, simple neat print, same as before. I read the note carefully feeling a sick dread in the pit of my stomach, _Stay Away. _

Memories of the note back at Quatre's mansion came flooding back to me. It was official. I was being stalked and threatened but the question was who was threatening me? And what did he want me to stay away from? And more importantly, how the fuck had he broke into the apartment AND Q's mansion? I was about to take the note off, when I remembered that there could be fingerprints, though it was a slim chance considering the skills this person had displayed so far.

"Who the fuck, are you?" I growled lowly, barely above a whisper, I turned back to the door and had just reached the handle when it opened. This time I did give a sharp curse and would have slammed my fist in the person's jaw had I not recognized Heero's green tank top first.

"When did you get in?" I asked shakily and then continued in a more demanding tone. "Did you see anyone run out of here, or the building?"

"No, why?" Heero's tone was serious, eyes narrowing as they took in my disgruntled appearance.

"Someone was in here." Before turning toward the mirror, the note was still there. "They left me a note."

"What the hell do you mean someone was in here?" Heero demanded, turning around before gruffly telling me to retrieve my gun.

I entered my room, scanning to make sure it was clear, before retrieving my gun from underneath the pillow, I rejoined Heero a moment later, he had stayed behind as back up.

"The door was locked when I came in." He stated quietly.

"Same." I replied.

"Did you make contact with him." He asked.

"No, he managed to keep himself hidden until I was clearing the bathroom, he had a direct shot at me from behind­—which is why I assume he's unarmed. He slammed the door shut so I wasn't able to get a look at him, or see if he was armed."

"You didn't hear him?" Heero seemed surprised.

"He's good." I confirmed.

"You didn't hear me come in." Heero reminded.

"I was distracted." I answered calmly as I he positioned himself behind me, I took the safety off the gun and moved forward, toward Heero's room.

"Keep an eye on the hallway." I whispered softly. He nodded briefly.

I signaled a countdown with my fingers: one, two, three. I opened the door swiftly and took aim at the corners, before aiming behind the door. Empty. I gave Heero the okay, and returned to the hallway. Next we turned to Trowa's room, I positioned myself on one side of the doorframe, while Heero took the other, I opened the door and aimed the gun for any form out of the ordinary. After clearing Trowa's room, we covered the remainder of the hallway swiftly and quietly, as we hit the living room I entered first, directing the gun toward the corners of the room once again, then made my way to the counter in the adjoined kitchen. Resting against the corner of the counter before closing in.

"Clear." I stated.

"How did he lock the door?" Heero asked momentarily.

"How did he get into­—" I stopped short.

"Get into where?" Heero eyed me suspiciously jaw clicking sternly shut before narrowing his eyes dangerously in realization.

"This person left you a note in Quatre's estate?" He asked.

"He took the note, I was unable to confirm if it had been a figment of my imagination or hard evidence." I stated.

"Where is the note?" Heero asked coldly.

"Bathroom mirror." I responded softly.

He turned back and disappeared into the bathroom, reemerging minutes later.

"What does he mean?" He demanded.

"I have no idea." I answered tiredly, sinking into the couch wearily.

"What did the other note say?" He growled in annoyance.

"The same thing as this one." I sighed in frustration.

There was a long awkward pause as Heero stared at me while I stared at the door.

"I'll start securing the apartment." Heero informed me, but before he left he gave a second glance at me. "How much sleep have you been obtaining?" He questioned.

"Not enough." I answered curtly. I was pissed, who the hell wanted to mess with me?

"Your room is secure, you should get some rest." Heero added abruptly. I guess that was his way of expressing concern, honestly I knew that I wasn't tired, but I felt that I should at least humor him. Therefore I complied.

Once I was in my room the situation hit home. I had been being watched and followed for the last several weeks to my knowledge, for who knows how long this had been going on for? Fucker. I sat on my comforter, and ran through the events of the last couple weeks, trying to jog my memories for anything odd or abnormal. I clenched my fists tightly as I fumed in silence.

I'm sure Trowa will be thrilled with this bit of news. I felt my lips move in a cold smile. This was just what I needed. Here the war had just barely ended and already my attempt to lead a normal life had been thwarted. I let myself fall back on the bed.

"**Duo?" **I felt someone grasp my shoulder and shake it firmly. I felt weighted down, and it took me a while to force my eyes open. Where was I? The hallway? When the hell did I get in the­—

"Duo, are you alright?" I met Trowa's concerned gaze. I nodded briefly but the movement caused me to fall back. Trowa caught me instinctively and brought me back up into a sitting position, scooting me back a bit so that I'd have the wall to support me. He rested his hand on my forehead for a few seconds.

"You don't have a fever." He stated calmly, "Duo, have you had any water today?" He asked gently.

"I don't remember." I answered honestly. "Ask Heero." I replied sluggishly.

"He isn't here." He looked at me oddly.

"What?" I asked surprised.

He was supposed to be securing the apartment. Trowa should have already been informed of the break in, and the note, and—Wait. Reality hit me like a brick. Hallway. Water. Trowa. It all made sense. I remembered going down the hall to get water, it was only natural that I must have passed out due to dehydration. Who knows how long I had been out for, if Trowa was just now getting in. So it had all been a dream? Well, damn.

I looked at Trowa who was looking at me perplexed.

"I was going to get water." I replied sheepishly, watching as his expression relaxed. I gave a reassuring grin as he nodded at me once, before standing.

"You stay here, I'll go get you a glass."

As I watched his retreating back, I inwardly felt foolish. This was getting absurd. I made up mind at that moment that there had never been a note and there never would be. There was no stalker either, because it was highly improbable, besides who would want to stalk me anyway? Lastly, and most importantly, I resolved to buy some Tylenol pm. One thing was for sure; I needed sleep badly.

A/N: I'm sorry to everyone who has waited for an update. My illness has greatly affected my mentality and my concentration. Well this was a wild card chapter, started one way, went the other, that sort of thing. Hope you all enjoyed chapter three, this story is going to get very interesting.

On a completely different note, I felt like the stupidest writer for misspelling my own title. Really (points finger accusingly), you guys have to tell me when I do stupid stunts like that!

Comments: For my 6 reviewers! 

**Goodbye.Unfaithful.: Misleading aren't I? Well this doesn't answer your question. This is just another reason you'll have to continue reading. Glad you enjoyed. **

**Dark-lil-devil: Thanks, and I am truly sorry for taking so long to update. Hope this made up for it?**

**Tatsu Satsuki: I'm really happy that the story was able to portray that type of reaction. Hopefully you'll continue reading!**

**Elysianwinter: Shinigami is what Duo proclaims himself to be in the series. It is not a set character. Shinigami in Japanese is the combining of two words 'shi' and 'gami'. 'Shi' which means to die combined with the word 'gami' or God translates Shinigami (in English) to God of Death. Hope that helped, and I apologize for the wait.**

**Chrosis: Well, I assure you the long wait was not meant to spite you. I don't think this chapter was what you were expecting, but I hope you continue reading. **

**Kami-Crimson: I hope it stays good, and I made it longer and more suspenseful in compensation for the wait. Enjoy.**


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